This invention relates to an apparatus for flood protection and, more specifically, to a vent for installation in a building, which opens and closes in response to the floodwater level.

When buildings such as houses, factories and offices for example, are flooded as a result of excessive rainfall or abnormally wet conditions, burst water pipes, etc., the first reaction of most people is to block off the doors to prevent the ingress of any more floodwater. This highlights a popular misconception that if you stop floodwater coming in the doors you stop the building being flooded.

However, by the time floodwater has reached the door level, it has completely filled up the space known as the solum by entering through the brick vents, built into 99% of traditional build houses built in the United Kingdom, and 100% of the timber frame house kits. The solum is the space in a building which extends from underneath the joists of the flooring down to the surface of the brickwork or cement base of the foundations. The size of the solum depends upon the terrain on which the structure has been built and can vary from anything between twelve inches to six feet in height.

The smaller the solum the smaller the amount of floodwater needed to fill it thus increasing the chances of flooding the rest of the building.

Most vents used in buildings today are designed to let in as much ventilation as possible while retaining strength characteristics which will allow the vent to take the weight of the various bricks built round about it. This is done by including a framework of holes in the vent during the pre-

cast stage of manufacture. However, these types of well known vents cannot prevent the ingress of water as the holes are integrally formed in the vent and have no means of opening and closing in response to rising levels of floodwater to prevent flooding of the building. Blocking off each individual hole in the vent may prevent flooding, but this course of action would then involve covering each particular vent manually which is time consuming and labour intensive.

Additionally, if the vent is to function properly, then it must be uncovered at a later stage which only compounds the problem of manual intervention with each vent.

Additionally, unless plenty of advance flood warning is given, there is a time constraint on how many vents can be covered manually before flooding actually begins. Not every flood will be predictable, so there may also be the scenario where no time is available to manually block the vents.

By providing a vent assembly with the built-in ability to restrict and possibly prevent the flow of floodwater at the first point of entry, i. e. the vents, it is envisaged that damage to the building and its contents caused by the floodwater will be dramatically reduced if not completely prevented. This will also remove any need for manual involvement with the vents during such a situation therefore allowing efforts to be directed elsewhere.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a flood protection vent which overcomes or mitigates one or more of the above problems.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a vent having a frame and at least one aperture therein and comprising a means for covering said at least one

aperture, and a receptacle for collection of fluid, said cover means being adapted to move between a first position where the aperture is open and a second position where the aperture is closed in response to the level of fluid within said receptacle, said means forming a watertight seal with the frame when closed, said receptacle having means to enable fluid to escape once a pre-determined fluid level is reached thereby allowing said means to move freely from one position to the other to open the aperture.

Said covering means may be pivotally mounted on said frame. Said covering means may be provided with a receptacle at one end remote from its pivotal point wherein said means may move freely from one position to the other as its weight changes at said one end.

The means for covering at least one aperture may comprise a flap, said flap being generally rectangular in shape. The means for enabling fluid to escape from the receptacle may comprise weep holes. Compared with a standard vent, the above assembly can close automatically without manual intervention in response to rising water levels.

Advantageously, as more floodwater is collected in the receptacle, the tighter the seal between the flap and vent becomes. This is due to hydrostatic pressure acting on the flap which in turn tries to rotate but cannot as it is being forced against an external face of the vent.

Furthermore, once the flood-level begins to subside, the water in the receptacle will start to drain away through the weep holes in the receptacle, for example, at both sides of the bottom of the receptacle and from there through at least one way valve.

In one arrangement of the present invention the one way valve is a one way sleeve valve. This is a valve which includes a bore from which a flexible and deformable, for example, latex tubular member extends. In the present arrangement the tubular member is made from a material that will float on water and extends from a hole in the frame into the external environment.

In operation, as the water level rises the tubular member floats on the surface and the valve will effectively be closed. The deforming of the shape of the tubular member prevents a flow path to the valve being formed. Consequently only when the water level falls below a threshold level set by the length of the tubular member and the tubular member is clear of the water will the valve be opened and allow any water in the vent to drain away.

This highlights another important advantage of the present invention where gravity itself will cause the flap to return to the open position, as the free side of the vent is heavier than the receptacle side minus the water.

The flap may comprise a generally rectangular section extending axially from a profiled hinge which in turn is profiled to form an integral receptacle. The surface of the profiled hinge from which the flap extends may be convex.

The flap may be pivotally mounted on a profiled rib or hinge provided on the frame. The surface of said profiled hinge mounted on said profiled rib may be concave.

The profiled rib may have a convex surface on one side and a concave surface on the reverse side. The surface of the rib which supports the flap may be convex. Both surfaces of said profiled hinge may extend to define an inner and outer surface of the receptacle. The profile of the inner

surface of the receptacle may be concave or rectangular. The profile of the outer surface of the receptacle may be convex or rectangular.

The frame may be generally rectangular in plan and may comprise a substantially hollow section having at least one aperture in an exterior face; said face being provided with a profiled rib on which the flap is mounted; and a flange said flange extending axially from the base of the hollow section.

The hollow section may form a housing. The at least one aperture may be rectangular in shape. The flange may be substantially rectangular. Said flange may contain apertures for the insertion of fastening means. Said fastening means may include fixing screws.

The frame may be formed in a substantially rectangular manner comprising a plurality of rib segments integrally formed within said frame. At least one of said rib segments can be integral with all inner surfaces of said frame. At least one of said rib segments may extend downwardly at an angle to the horizontal upper and lower inner surfaces of said frame, wherein said angled segment may further extend into a profiled portion which may be integral with said lower inner surface.

The support member may comprise a wall segment formed substantially perpendicular to a base segment, said wall segment containing a plurality of perforations. The perforations may be rectangular in shape. The wall segment may be substantially rectangular in shape. The base segment may comprise a bottom surface which is substantially perpendicular to the wall segment and a top surface which is at an obtuse angle relative to the wall segment. The base

segment may be provided with a profiled rib at its distal end. The rib may comprise a convex profile.

In an alternative embodiment, the receptacle may be provided with a top surface which partially covers the opening of the receptacle. The frame may be provided with a lip extending inwardly from an aperture in the frame towards the receptacle. The receptacle may be provided with an outer surface partially angled to come into contact with the lip.

In yet a further embodiment, the cover means may comprise a buoyant body, said body being generally rectangular in shape. The buoyant body may be hollow. The buoyant body may be held in position by guiding means. Said guiding means may comprise a plurality of runners, said runners having sufficient clearance to allow the buoyant body to move freely.

The receptacle may be provided with a baffle plate which forms a channel for fluid movement. The fluid enters this channel formed by the baffle and, once enough fluid is present, it will then begin to move up the channel on the other side of the baffle. This rising fluid level will cause the buoyant body to rise. Provided the fluid level rises enough, the buoyant body will completely cover the aperture until the fluid level begins to drop at which point the buoyant body will begin to return to its normal position and the aperture will be open once more.

These and other aspects of the invention may be used independently or in combination, as illustrated by the embodiments to be described below. Further advantageous features and combinations of features are disclosed in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 (a) to (c) show an oblique view, a front view and an end elevation of a first embodiment of an assembled vent in accordance with the present invention; Figs. 2 (a), (b), & (c) show front, plan and a sectional elevation along line A-A of Figure 2 (a) of the flap portion of the vent as shown in Fig l (a)- (c) ; Figs. 3 (a) to (c) show side, front and plan elevations of the frame portion of the vent as shown in Fig l (a)- (c) ; Fig. 4 (a) to (c) show side, plan and front views of an alternative embodiment of the flap portion shown in Fig l (a)- (c) ; Fig. 5 (a), (b), & (c) show front, plan and a sectional elevation along line A-A of Figure 5 (a) of an alternative embodiment of the frame adapted to be assembled with a base portion to form a frame suitable for inserting into a duct; Figs. 6 (a), (b) & (c) show front, plan and a sectional elevation along line A-A of Figure 6 (a) of an alternative embodiment of the frame portion shown in Figures 1 and 3 and adapted to be assembled with the front portion of the frame as shown in Fig 5; Figs. 7 (a) to (d) of an alternative embodiment of Figs 4 to 6 as an assembled arrangement adapted for inserting into a duct;

Figs. 8 (a) & (b) show a sectional and perspective views of a second alternative vent; Fig. 9 shows a further embodiment showing the flap connected to the frame by a pivot connection with a lip inside the frame to prevent rattling of the flap; Fig. 10 shows an enlarged view of the lip and angled section as shown in Fig 9; and Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of the vent including further added features.

Figs. 12 (a) and (b) show yet a further embodiment where a buoyant covering means is used to close and open the aperture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to Figs 1 (a) to (c) of the accompanying drawings, there is shown a vent in the assembled configuration according to one aspect of the present invention. The vent is a flood protection vent and comprises a generally rectangular frame 12 which is adapted to be mounted on a wall (not shown) of a building at an appropriate height.

The frame 12 shown in Figures 3 (a) to (c) comprises a generally rectangular flange 13 from which extends a substantially hollow housing 14. A profiled rib 15 is formed on the outer surface 16 of the housing 14 and extends across the entire width of the surface 16. The profiled rib 15 is curved to allow a closure means (described below) to be hingedly mounted thereon and to move freely when required.

The frame 12 has an aperture 17 in the central portion of the outer surface 16 and its overall area is smaller than the overall area of the closure means. This is to allow the closure means to completely cover the aperture 17 during use thus creating a watertight seal. The flange 13 has apertures 18 to allow the assembled vent to be secured to a structure using fastening means such as masonry screws for example.

In the embodiment described, the closure means comprises a flap 1 which is mounted on the profiled rib 15 to engage with the frame 12.

The flap 1 shown in Figures 2 (a) to (c) comprises a generally rectangular planar body 2 which is provided at one end with a convex portion 3 which defines a hinge 4 to allow the flap to be mounted on the rib 15 of the frame. The rectangular body 2 is greater in width than the hinge 4 as shown in Figs 2 (b) and (c). The surface of the convex portion 3 extends downwardly on one side away from the rectangular body 2 to form the inner surface 5 of a receptacle 6.

On the other side of the rectangular body 2, the surface extends to form a curved lip 7. Figure 2 (a) shows this convex portion 3 as being semi-circular in profile. The underside 8 of the hinge 4 is concave and extends to form the outer surface 9 of the receptacle 6. The concave portion 7 is also semi-circular in profile.

The surface 5 is generally U-shaped as shown in Fig 2 (a) as is the corresponding outer surface 9 of the receptacle 6.

The wall thickness of the receptacle 6 and the hinge 4 is constant throughout. As shown in Figure 2 (c), a wall 10 is provided at either end closing off both ends of the receptacle 6 creating a trough-like shape. Fig 2 (c) shows

the receptacle 6 as being generally rectangular in plan, but smaller than the rectangular body 2. Centrally located within the receptacle 6 is a weep hole 11 through which the water will drain once the flood water level subsides.

The flap 1 can be manufactured from any suitable durable and resilient material. Typical examples of material are plastics, which have the advantage of providing a buoyant nature to the flap to aid in the closing of the flap 1 when the water level rises. Other materials may be used, and to import or enhance buoyancy to the flap, flotation aids may be added to the flap, for example at the base of the flap or at the top.

When mounted the flap 1 is able to rotate freely about the profiled rib 15 which acts as a fulcrum in response to weight distribution changes, for example, weight being added to the receptacle 6 in the form of water which alters the balance of the flap 1.

In use, as the floodwater rises it enters the vent to be caught in the receptacle 6 of the flap 1. This increases the weight of the receptacle 6 gradually until it becomes so heavy that the equilibrium of the flap 1 is disturbed causing the flap to rotate about the hinge 4. This will cause the distal end 16 of the flap 1 to turn towards the frame where it will stop upon contact therewith.

As the floodwater rises, so the forces trying to rotate the flap are increased as more weight is placed on the receptacle 6 increasing the hydrostatic pressure which forces the flap to try and rotate further. This attempted rotation is transformed into pressure exerted on the frame by the flap 1. This constant exertion of pressure causes the flap 1 to

form a watertight seal with the outer surface of the frame 12 while the receptacle 6 is full of water.

The hydrostatic pressure acting on the flap 1 will continue until the floodwater level subsides at which point the water in the receptacle will drain away through the weep hole 11 and from there through a one way sleeve valve.

The one way sleeve valve comprises a throughbore connecting the external and internal environments of the vent. A tubular member of gossamer-like latex material extends down from the throughbore. The tubular member is thin enough for the member to be flexible and light, and with the choice of materials the tubular member is lightweight and waterproof.

In operation, as the level of the floodwater rises the tubular member will float on the surface and be deformed so that a flow path will not exist through the throughbore.

When the floodwater subsides the tubular member will again be in a position where it hangs from the throughbore. In this case the pressure of the water in the vent will open the tubular member and the water will be able top drain from the vent.

When the water has emptied from the receptacle 6, the forces trying to turn the flap are reduced so that the flap returns to a state of equilibrium by rotating back to the open position. It remains in this open position as the flap is heavier than the receptacle (when empty).

In the embodiment of Figs 4 to 6 to be described, parts with reference numbers 1,2 etc. correspond to parts 1,2, etc. in the description of Figs 1 to 3.

Figs 4 (a) to (c) show an alternative embodiment of the flap 1. The main part of the flap is a generally rectangular body 2 having an upturned bend at its distal end 16 furthest from the receptacle 6. As will be described below, this upturned bend is to allow the flap 1 to form a seal when the assembled unit is being used. As before, the rectangular body 2 extends from the hinge 4, but in this embodiment, the hinge 4 has been adapted to resemble a C-shaped section. The rectangular body 2 now extends axially away from the extremity of the hinge 4.

The C-shaped section, as in the previous embodiment, has two surfaces 3,8 which are convex and concave respectively and extend into a U-shaped section having profiled surfaces 5, 9 forming the inner and outer surfaces of the receptacle 6. Figure 4 (c) of this embodiment shows the receptacle 6 to be wider than the rectangular section 2. Again, a wall 10 is provided at either end to create a slightly narrower trough- like shape for the receptacle 6.

In this embodiment, the frame 12 is split into two parts, a support member 12A and a hollow frame 12B, to be assembled together and inserted into a duct of a building or similar structure as required.

Figs 5 (a) to (c) show the support member 12A of such a frame 12 as being generally L-shaped and having a generally rectangular wall segment 20 and a generally rectangular base segment 21. The wall segment 20 is generally perpendicular to the base segment 21 of the support member 12A. This base segment 21 contains the profiled rib 15 on which the flap 1 pivots and has a weep passage 11 extending throughout its length. As in the earlier embodiment a one way sleeve valve extends down from the external end of the weep passage 11.

The wall segment 20 is perforated to form a series of inlet

ports 22 covering the surface of the wall segment 20 to a height just above that of the top surface 21A of the base segment 21. These inlet ports 22 are generally square in shape and form a reticulate pattern. The top surface 21A of the base segment 21 is slightly angled and slopes downwards from the wall segment 20 towards the profiled rib 15.

Apertures 18 are provided in the wall segment 20 for mounting and locating.

Figs 6 (a) to (c) show the hollow frame 12B of the vent.

This frame 12B is a substantially hollow component which is generally rectangular in shape. Integrally formed with the inner surfaces 23,23A, 23B and 23C of this base part 12B are two ribs 24,25. The first rib 24 extends downward from the top surface 23 of the inner portion but stops before reaching the bottom surface 23A thus leaving a gap, in the form of an inverted T-shape, designed to allow the front part 12A of the vent to fit into.

A thin strip of this rib 24 also extends across the entire width of the top surface 23 of the hollow portion of the frame 12B. This rib contains two apertures which are designed to receive the fastening means used to secure the front part 12A to this base part 12B, usually fixing screws or the like.

A second rib 25, positioned behind the first rib 24, also extends downwards from the top surface 23 and is integrally formed with the hollow portion at all four surfaces 23,23A, 23B and 23C. The top part of this rib 25 is angled with respect to the horizontal surfaces 23,23A and contains an aperture 26 over which the flap 1 will close when filled with floodwater. This angled part then extends further downwards toward the bottom surface 23A of the hollow

portion to form an L-shaped portion of the rib 25 which is generally perpendicular with the bottom surface 23A. The space within this L-shaped portion allows the flap 1 freedom of movement during rotation of the receptacle 6.

Figs 7 (a) to (d) show the support member and hollow frame 12A, 12B of the vent and the flap 1 assembled together to form the flood protection vent of this embodiment. The support member 12A of the frame is inserted into the hollow frame 12B until a surface 20A of the end wall 20 of the support member 12A abuts the first rib 24 of the hollow frame 12B. Both these parts 12A and 12B are then secured together using fastening means such as fixing screws. Once assembled, this entire unit can be fitted into a duct within the wall of a building or some other structure, or used at a later date as a ready-made part which can be requested when installation of the unit is planned.

Figs 8 (a) & (b) show a vent of similar design and function to that described in Figs 1-3 and like numerals have been used to designate like components. This particular embodiment of the present invention differs from that described above in the arrangement and operation of the flap 1 and the way that it is mounted to the frame 12.

In this embodiment, the flap 1 is a two piece arrangement. The flap includes a receptacle 6 with upstanding wall 6a running along its length, and a body 100.

The upstanding wall 6a is pivotally connected to the lower end of the body at a point adjacent to but not at the bottom edge thereof. Four transveresly extending slots 117a are provided in the body of the flap 1.

The design of the frame 12 also differs in that the four corresponding slits 117b are also provided in the face of the

housing 14. A further slit 101 is provided below the slits 117b. Inwardly extending mounting means are provided in the housing 14 for mounting of the flap 1 to the housing.

In the assembled condition the upstanding wall 6a of the flap 1 is pivotally mounted to the housing 14 and the upstanding wall 6a extends through the slit 101. The body 100 of the flap is attached to the upstanding wall 6a. A mesh or grill 102 may be provided over the face of the vent to prevent the ingress of debris and other matter that could effect the operation of the vent.

When the vent is in the normal operational position, i. e. open, the receptacle 6 is empty and the flap 1 is spaced from the housing so that a flow path exists through the slits 117a and 117b. When closed the flap 1 abuts the housing so that the slits 117a and 117b do not line up and the flap also covers the opening of slit 101. In this way a sealing arrangement is again formed.

The vent operates in the same basic manner as that described above, water passing into the vent and being caught in the receptacle 6 until the balance of the flap is altered so that it will close.

Fig 9 shows a further embodiment of the present invention. The flap 1 is generally rectangular and is connected to the frame 12 by a hinge 30. The frame 12 has a small lip section 32 protruding inwardly away from the flap 1. The receptacle 6 is generally rectangular and the wall section 31 of the receptacle nearest the lip 32 is slightly angled. This allows the angled section 31 to act like a catch to prevent the wind rattling the flap 1 when it has no water in it. The angled section 31 will come into contact with the lip 32 where it will stick until a greater force,

such as the force exerted by the receptacle 6 when it is filled with water, causes it to rotate back to its original position.

The part of the receptacle indicated by 33 has been weakened by a partial incision into the material, or other well known means for providing a weakening of the material.

This produces a receptacle in which a spring effect is created so that when the receptacle 6 is filled with water, it will free itself from the catch created by the angled section 31 coming into contact with the underside of the lip 32.

The important function of this adaptation of the invention is that the flap will be held in the open position even when subjected to light winds. It will therefore not rattle about in the wind and create a disturbance.

Fig 10 shows an exploded view of the angled section 31 before rotation and its position after rotation (shown in dotted lines). This final position shows how the angled section 31 catches the underside of the lip 32 during rotation to prevent any unwanted movement of the receptacle 6.

The assembled vent in each embodiment may also include a protective mesh (not shown) over the aperture to hold back floating debris or anything big enough to foul the opening and closing of the flap or the watertight seal.

Fig 11 shows a vent of the same general configuration as that shown in Figs 1-3 and like numerals have been used to indicate like components. In this particular embodiment of the invention buoyancy aids 200 have been added to the flap 1. The buoyancy aids are added to the bottom edge of the

flap and are there to provide some additional buoyancy to the flap in the floodwater.

The buoyancy aid may be hollow sections filled with air or solid sections of light floatable material. The face of the housing for the vent may also be shaped to enhance and utilise the conditions that apply to the operation of the vent.

Finally, Figs 12 (a) and (b) show a further embodiment of the present invention. In this particular embodiment, the cover means comprises a buoyant body 220 which is hollow.

The buoyant body 220 is located in position within the vent by a plurality of runners 230 which have sufficient clearance to allow the buoyant body 220 to move freely as the fluid level rises or falls. The receptacle has a baffle plate 240, which forms a channel 250 for fluid movement, similar to a U- shape as shown in Fig. 12 (a).

This allows the fluid to enter the receptacle 6 at the inlet part formed by the baffle 240. The fluid begins to fill up the bottom of the receptacle where it will cause the buoyant body 220 to float once a sufficient amount of fluid is present. Once buoyant in the fluid, the buoyant body 220 will begin to rise up the other side of the channel 250 formed by the baffle plate and guided by the runners 230 to maintain its position. If it continues to rise, the buoyant body 220 will eventually cover the aperture 260 and the pressure being exerted underneath the buoyant body 220 will form a watertight seal between the buoyant body 220 and the aperture 260. Once the fluid level begins to drop, the buoyant body 220 will gradually be lowered to its original position and the aperture 260 will be open.

The examples described are given as examples only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.